rustycruzr

n 5/3/2024 at 5:26 PM, Williamsburgcruiser said:

Anytime I am not cooking, the food will be just fine for me. 

Got off the Oasis Transatlantic on Sunday, and today I'm happily cooking my own Chilean sea bass.

The food preparation and choices on the TA were quite disappointing, to the point that I was wishing we would have booked the UDP instead of relying on the MDR to come thru. We had a 3 nite dining package.

We're foodies, so of course we were profoundly disappointed in the choices and preparation offered by RCI in the MDR. And before anyone thinks we're blaming the staff, they were fine.

Towards the end of the cruise we were left with trying to figure out where could we configure the best meal: Park Cafe for salad and sandwiches, Windjammer early for omelets, and premium dining with occasional port side BBQ for dinner.

Not what we would call my best cruise dining experience.

So we've concluded that folks are correct they say that dining on RC has gone downhill.

And it has definitely impacted whether we would book another cruise on RCI...(and we indicated our sentiments on the post cruise evaluation).

21 minutes ago, ah33919 said:

I’m gonna be honest…I didn’t spend a ton of time diagnosing the problem.

You have a vacation to enjoy...you should do just that, not diagnosing and sleuthing! And especially since you have family there.

I have a TA coming up and I'll have some time to do a little sleuthing. I'll post whatever I can come up with. In the meantime, enjoy the remainder of your cruise...

11 minutes ago, ah33919 said:

Yep It’s 4.5.0

Could the power supply be the issue?

https://forum.gl-inet.com/t/gl-mt3000-disconnects-triggered-by-windows/31241

5 hours ago, ah33919 said:

I also tried the MT 3000 and it connected for about an hour the it would disconnect itself.

Thanks for your comments on the MT 3000.

Which firmware do you have? The current is 4.5.0. released in late January.

Apparently some of the prior releases had issues which could result in disconnects...

On 3/14/2024 at 3:17 PM, ah33919 said:

Thanks

I'll be on Icon on Sat....gonna play with the GL.iNet GL-MT3000 and the AC750.

@ah33919Was following this thread with great interest as I picked up the MT 3000 a few days ago. I've been plodding my way through the set up process.

As you are on the Icon tomorrow with the MT3000 in tow, will be interested in your impressions of it if its not too much trouble...hopefully you'll post them at some point when you return.

Thanks and enjoy your cruise...

@avp1234

Put the lid down when the toilet is not in use.

An example of a useless celebrity apologist here...saying its hubby's own fault. SMDH...

@avp1234

Please don't pay any mind to the celebrity apologists here...your husband experienced a very serious situation which needs to be addressed. And especially so if he is immuno-compromised.

Do what you need to do to get YOUR satisfaction that this situation is indeed addressed. Forget everyone else...you and your husband are who matters here.

2 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

 Use Type C to HDMI cable from Amazon and stream directly to the TV.   

I actually have one of these purchased for a different purpose. And now it will be repurposed, thanks to you. Hat tip to you GM99...

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Portal-accessed open wifi networks are pretty standard in the travel industry which allows them to see what you're doing including if you're performing any illegal activities.  There are free VPNs you can download, the only way to utilize them is to ensure the VPN is off, log into the ship's wifi network then turn on VPN.  I would guess 99% of cruising internet users which includes the crew don't use a VPN

 

Other than a new hacker practicing, it makes little financial sense to hack someone's streaming service login info and if that happens you can simply reset your password as the link would be sent to your email.  One tip for those who are concerned, dedicate one credit card to pay for things when on open wifi networks and use another credit card for everything else

Between your explanation and TSC's (above) I now understand this better. Thanks for your input...

1 hour ago, tscoffey said:

VPN works by encrypting your web traffic before it leaves your device. It sends the encrypted packets to a trusted VPN server, which is owned by the VPN service you paid. There, it is decrypted and passed to the website you are accessing. Reply packets go in reverse. 

Unless someone has cracked RSA or AES encryption, it is safe.

So combining your explanation with Nutaboutgolf (below) the transaction would be:

1. Sign into Apex's wifi [which is theoretically unencrypted but totally risk free]

2. Access your VPN via wifi [encrypted transaction]

3. Access Netflix/Max/Starz/etc [encrypted sign in]

The key being signing in via your VPN...

Thanks much TSC...

Clearly the good Captain knows a thing or two about communicating with her clients and leveraging technology to advantage.

Good for her...much respect!

I was recently on the Apex and purchased their internet package. I brought my Roku stick along with the intention of occasionally watching Netflix and other streamers during any time we had in the cabin.

What I realized after logging onto the ship's wifi is that it was really an open wifi (and to think I paid for such wifi)...I got alerts from my internet security software that the network was unsecured.

So I realized that if I logged into my Netflix account, I would be in effect publishing my account credentials to whomever happens to be the resident hacker on the network at that time.

Not willing to put myself at risk, I did without. Never plugged in the Roku stick, nor did I access Netflix. I only used the ship's wifi for occasional surfing of the web for news and sports reporting. I did nothing that required inputting credentials.

So my question: What does one do to protect themselves if one chooses to log in to these accounts on a cruise? Does a VPN provide that protection?

And do I get a VPN, despite only having need for one on the 2 or so cruises I do a year (which are never longer than 2 weeks or so)? Or am I missing other uses for the VPN?

As a rule I never use internet cafes or any other spot the has an open unsecured wifi so I don't see the value in enrolling in a VPN for a year or more. The 2 times or so that I would need to use the VPN every year wouldn't justify the expense. I would just do without Netflix and related streaming when I'm away from home. 

Am I missing something? Are there other uses for a VPN that I'm missing? And was I being a bit paranoid about not wanting to sign into Netflix or other streaming providers such as Max or Starz while on a ship's open wifi?

Would appreciate hearing from those knowledgeable on this...many thanks in advance.

@PacnGoNow

@CruiserBruce

Thanks for the info. Was just on the Total Wine site and they deliver. And they have the wines that I want as well. All good!

Thanks again...

Anyone ever had wine delivered to their hotel before a cruise? We'll staying at the Courtyard in Dania the day before cruising and wanted to bring a couple of bottles on board to enjoy during the cruise.

Any recommendations of establishments that have a good wine selection?

Many thanks in advance... 

Got it...thanks!

We're scheduled to return to port at 7am off the Celebrity Apex in January. There's a flight that leaves FLL at 10:45am. 

Assuming no unexpected events on board resulting in delays, is getting the 10:45am flight out of FLL doable, or should we choose a later flight. 

Thanks in advance for your input...

We had about 8k tied up into 2 cruises. One cruise was in March, the other in May. When Celebrity announced cruise cancellations in March, we immediately notified our TA that under no circumstances would we accept FCC. I also submitted refund requests on line per the email from LLP-the CEO of Celebrity (the e mail had a link that allowed a passenger to submit a refund request on line). I figured why not do both…(you know, belt and suspenders—it couldn’t hurt).

I received everything but $300.00 by mid May. It baffled me why they kept the $300.00. But the customer rep promised we would see that in 30 days, so in other words, by mid June.

Well, not so much. We contacted them no less than 7 times requesting the remaining $300.00 and each time they said they would initiate workflow because the prior customer rep never submitted workflow.

In late July, being quite ticked off about this whole process, I finally did two things: I wrote a pointed letter to Celebrity’s SVP and head of customer service AND I requested a charge-back via the credit card company. We had plenty of documentation showing how we worked with Celebrity to obtain the full refund and we submitted this to the credit card company.

About 2 ½ weeks after filing the complaint with the credit card company, we were finally made whole—we received a $300 credit. So it took over 120 days to be made whole.

Lessons learned:

-Document every contact made with Celebrity. Get a name and identifying number (they won't give their surname) of the customer representative. Keep all of the emails sent by LLP and/or other Celebrity officials so you can use them as leverage in the quest to obtain a refund (in the emails, they promised us a refund within 30-45 days. In reality they greatly exceeded that--120+ days). The emails and press releases help you build your case when Celebrity neglects to issue you a refund.

-IGNORE those Celebrity apologists on Cruise Critic who say to cut Celebrity a break. I had someone on this site state that the communications from Celebrity were not binding…they had no legal value, so to their thinking I had no leverage in getting a refund. However, you’re not trying to start a class action suit. You’re just trying to get a refund. If I had listened to him, I would have gotten zero $$$. You need your $$$. Celebrity is using your $$$ as an interest free loan. The longer they keep your $$$ the longer you are funding their risk. If they were to go out of business, your $$$ goes with them. You’ll see cents on the dollar about 10 years from now when bankruptcy proceedings are settled. And NONE of those Celebrity apologists will be anywhere in sight to make you whole.

-Your goal is to get your $$$ back as quickly as possible. No need to be unreasonable but tolerate no delay. They promised a service and didn’t deliver. Use your leverage. After a reasonable period of time (30-45 days after cruise date) if they haven’t refunded your $$$, use your points of leverage. Call the Celebrity customer service line. Be sure to get name and identifying number of the rep you speak to. After the 3^rd attempt to obtain a refund via customer service, write a registered letter to the SVP in charge of customer service asking for her to expedite the refund. Outline your efforts to work with customer service and ask directly for her help in moving the refund process along. That letter becomes part of the documentation that you’ll send to the credit card company that demonstrates that you attempted to work with Celebrity.

-After giving Celebrity a reasonable period to respond (2 weeks) contact your credit card company and file a claim for failure to deliver services. Give them all of the documentation on how you’ve contacted them and the number of times you’ve reached out to them. Show what they promised to do and how they failed to deliver on said promise. You’re entitled your $$$ back. You shouldn’t have to wait until Celebrity decides when you should get your $$$ back. They take your $$$ right away…they don’t wait 30-120 days to take your $$$. You should not have to endure an unreasonable wait to obtain a refund. Thirty days is reasonable. Anything beyond that strains credulity.

-As mentioned, we finally got our refund in late July. This whole experience left a bad taste so Celebrity will not be seeing us again. We’ll do a bunch of land trips stateside and IF we decide to cruise again, we’ll choose another provider. Between the covid risks and the angst that we experienced with Celebrity, cruising has lost its attraction to us.

Hope this was helpful to those still awaiting a refund…good luck!

On 5/16/2020 at 1:43 PM, oceanlovinmama said:

We work on commission only, and that money comes AFTER you travel.  We have had no income for the past two months and probably won’t for the rest of the year, now we have to give Our commission back AND possibly be on the hook for thousands of dollars we don’t have.  Please think about your agent!

And many cruisers have lost jobs and therefore have no income for the past two months...many of them won't work again, and if they do work, will take jobs making considerably less. With your post, everything is about you, you, and you. Please think about your customer!

Here's a suggestion: rather than post here asking us not to do a charge back to the cruise companies, you and other travel agents should get on the phone with the cruise companies and encourage them to do what is necessary to get everyone their refunds within the next 7 days. This action would put the refund issue behind them and allow them to prepare for the time when cruising will return. 

Doing that will be a lot more useful than bellyaching about how those of us doing charge backs are making life difficult for the likes of you.

And BTW, yes I'm doing a charge back...and have no regrets whatsoever about it.

Thanks for posting this. Lots of implications for cruisers.

No problem accessing it at all. It was a very instructive article on the tone deafness of cruise industry executives during the beginning of the pandemic. It was pretty damning...

This was the article that was deleted from here Sunday morning so I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't last.

Cliff notes version is featured on YouTube's Washington Post website...

43 minutes ago, Doubt It said:

Bo1953:

 

Good evening. My friends credit card company (Master Card) was most interested to proceed with a case against X. She provided her invoice and the cancellation policy provided along with the invoice. Done deal.

 

 

 

Glad your friend had a good result and would encourage anyone else to do the same.

Contrary to what one seems to believe, you don’t need a contract. You’re trying to obtain a refund, not start a class action suit. The lever that one would use to preserve their rights is the credit card companies charge back provision. Using this, the consumer needs to show:

-A failure to deliver service already paid for by use of the credit card.  

-Attempts to obtain a refund by working with the merchant who was to deliver the service.

-The policy surrounding delivery of refunds as evidenced by pronouncements on the website or written documents sent by the merchant to the persons seeking the refund. These will spell out WHEN and how refunds will be delivered.

-And lastly, a failure to deliver said refunds as promised in the document or as posted on the website.  That refund failure triggers the charge back for failure to deliver services.

You don’t need to show you signed a contract to preserve your rights in this. You just need to show that you paid, you didn’t receive the service, and you worked with the vendor to get a refund for the service within a reasonable timeframe.

People are aware of what’s going on. They understand volume and how sheer numbers can slow down a process.

But people are also trying to get refunds within a reasonable timeframe. To have these timeframes moved from 30 days to 45 days to 90 days without communication is what is driving much of the angst on this issue.

They’re not asking for anything that doesn’t belong to them. This is their money!

So it’s not unreasonable for them to be upset about this, especially given the fact that many of these individuals are now suffering financial hardship as a result of being laid off during the Covid 19 crisis. They are simply trying to get their money within a reasonable timeframe.

A little empathy might go a long way. You may go through this one day and I’m sure you’ll appreciate it when folks empathize with you…

12 hours ago, jelayne said:

2 hours ago, Doubt It said:

 

Their collective silence on proceeding with cash refunds in an open and transparent manner tells me they have limited to no intentions of providing cash refunds. 

 

Repeated breaking of contracts and unreasonable delays in returning funds puts a company on a black list.

 

 

 

When I saw this yesterday, it made my blood boil. The collective tone deafness about a major issue facing a good proportion of their customers is astounding. Do they really believe they have no problems here? No acknowledgement, no statement of "this is what we're doing to address the backlog". Instead, crickets...unbelievable!

2 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Thank you, but still not CoC, just a memo and not legally binding on X or any cruise line.

 

Nice though for those of us who look to point at anything to support or debunk our positions.

 

I would still ask if this 'memo' is incorporated into the CoC's? This would be more legally binding than a memo, IMO.

 

Thank you again and bon voyage

Actually, its enough to effect a charge back via the credit card company for failure to provide service, which is what many want given the tone deafness of Celebrity senior leadership.

Promises were made and subsequently broken with no communication indicating a change in policy. This is evidence of the promise.

Re: the CoC, happy hunting...I haven't found anything...nor do I think anyone needs to. The memo suffices...

15 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

In the CoC terms, I have not seen a time frame for any refund, if you would be so kind as to advise where I need to look for it, I will.

 

Thank you and bon voyage

This was in a memo from LLP, originally on 3/14, then updated on 3/24. It was posted in the alerts section of Celebrity's website. Time frame was 30 days...